Because Michael Bourn’s left hamstring strain has been found to be more serious than originally thought, the Indians made a trade July 7 with the Pittsburgh Pirates to protect themselves.
The Indians acquired outfielder Chris Dickerson in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.
To make room on the roster for Dickerson, catcher George Kottaras was designated for assignment.
Dickerson, 32, is a left-handed hitter who has spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis. In 236 at-bats, he was hitting .309 with seven home runs and 12 stolen bases. He ranks third in the International League with a .407 on-base percentage.
Dickerson was originally a 16th-round pick in the 2008 June draft by Cincinnati. He has appeared in 867 major-league games with the Reds, Brewers, Yankees and Orioles.
In 623 career at-bats in the majors, Dickerson has a .238 batting average, with 15 home runs and 60 RBI.
Bourn, who was placed on the disabled list on July 6, had an MRI done on his hamstring.
“It showed more significant damage than we all had hoped,” said Manager Terry Francona. “It looks like now he’ll be out three or four weeks.”Morgan updateNyjer Morgan replaced Bourn earlier in the season when Bourn had another hamstring flareup, but Morgan is not an option this time because he has been on the disabled list since May 15 with a sprained ligament in his right knee.
Morgan had been rehabbing the knee, but is going to seek a second opinion this week from Dr. Christopher Parker in Santa Barbara, California.
“This is not a setback. He just wants to get a second opinion, which our players are always welcome to do,” said Francona.The Kluber curve
Best curveball in the majors? Statistically, it’s Corey Kluber’s. According to ESPN’s Bruce Schoenfield, opposing teams are hitting .080 against Kluber’s curveball. As a point of reference, opposing hitters are batting .156 vs. Adam Wainwright’s curve and .173 vs. Clayton Kershaw’s curve.The Kluber campaign
The Indians are going all out in an attempt to generate votes from fans for Kluber, who is one of five players competing for the final spot on the American League All-Star team. The voting runs through 4 p.m. on July 10. The player with the most votes will be on the AL team.
Indians players are wearing “#VoteKluber” T-shirts during batting practice, and that same phrase has been stenciled on the playing field along the first- and third-base lines.Catcher’s corner
The decision to designate for assignment Kottaras leaves the Indians with two catchers on the roster, Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana. However, Santana has not caught s game since coming off the seven-day concussion disabled list on June 6.
The Indians obviously don’t want to risk Santana getting another concussion while catching, and it sounds like another roster move will be forthcoming to add a backup catcher for Gomes.
Asked before the game on July 7 if Santana is going to start catching again, Francona said, “He’s the backup tonight, but moving forward, we’ll see.”Notes
At the start of play July 7, the teams with the three best home records in the majors were the Angels (30-14), A’s (28-15) and Indians (25-16). ... Before the game July 7, the Indians honored former Tribe broadcaster Mike Hegan, who died in December. Members of Hegan’s family were present to help honor Hegan’s 23 years with the Indians. . . . July 8 at 7:05 p.m. Trevor Bauer (2-4, 4.42) will face Masahiro Tanaka (12-3, 2.27).